1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing member for fixing a solar cell module or a roofing member with no solar cell to a prescribed installation face, a solar cell module array using said fixing member, and an execution method for installing a solar cell module or a roofing member with no solar cell using said fixing member.
2. Related Background Art
In general, in the installation of a solar cell module, particularly a roofing member integral type solar cell module on a roof face, it is necessary to establish a prescribed space for connecting cables extending from the solar cell module. This is due to the following reason. For instance, as shown in FIG. 1, when a solar cell module-integrated roofing member for a stepping roof (Bermuda-type roof) is installed in the ordinary manner, the rear face of a ridge side end portion of the solar cell module unavoidably touches the surface of the sheathing roof board, whereby the passage necessary for electrically connecting the neighboring solar cell modules arranged in the water flow direction is blockaded.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2101 indicates a solar cell module, reference numeral 2102 a junction box, reference numeral 2103 a waterproofing roofing member, reference numeral 2104 a sheathing roof board, reference numeral 2105 a rafter, reference numeral 2106 a main frame, reference numeral 2107 a tapping screw, reference numeral 2108 a fixing member, and reference numeral 2109 a clip.
In the case of a solar cell module-integrated roofing member (2201) for a ribbed seam roof having upward bent opposite end portions as shown in FIG. 2, since a junction box 2202 is provided at the rear face of the roofing member 2201, the bottom of the roofing member 2201 must be raised using a spacer 2205. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 2203 indicates a fixing member, reference numeral 2204 a tapping screw, reference numeral 2206 a waterproofing roofing member, and reference numeral 2207 a sheathing roof board.
In order to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages, there are known such manners as will be described below.
(1) A manner as shown in FIG. 3 in which a predetermined portion of a sheathing roof board 2301 is cut off to form a wiring gutter 2302 having a passage 2305 for a cable to pass through. Also, a manner as shown in FIG. 4 in which a predetermined portion of a sheathing roof board 2401 is cut off and a sheathing roof board having an area corresponding to the cut-off sheathing roof board portion is fixed onto a main frame 2403 to form a passage 2404 for a cable to pass through.
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 2303 indicates a rafter, reference numeral 2304 a main frame, and reference numeral 2306 a tapping screw. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 2402 indicates a rafter.
(2) A manner as shown in FIG. 2 (which has been explained before) or in FIG. 5 in which a spacer (2203, 2504) made of a wood or metal is fixed on a sheathing roof board ( 2207, 2506) and a solar cell module (2201, 2501) is fixed on the spacer to form a space for a cable to pass through.
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 2502 indicates a junction box, reference numeral 2503 a connection cable, reference numeral 2505 a waterproofing roofing member, reference numeral 2507 a rafter, reference numeral 2508 a main frame, reference numeral 2509 a fixing member, reference numeral 2510 a tapping screw, and reference numeral 2511 a clip.
(3) A manner in which a backing member (a heat insulating member) is arranged under the rear face of a solar cell module to form a space between the solar cell module and the backing member which allows a cable to pass through the space.
(4) A manner in which a solar cell module is curving-processed to have a corrugated form and a cable is passed through a space of the corrugated form.
However, the above-described manners have disadvantages as will be described below.
Any of the manners described in the above (1) can be employed only in the case of a gable roof (a rectangular roof) where cable connection positions in a shed direction on the roof face are constant.
For instance, in the case of a gable roof as shown in FIG. 6 in which the opposite end portions of solar cell module strings are situated on verge portions, it is sufficient that one or two cable-wiring passages 2605 are provided. However, in the case of a hip roof in a trapezoid form as shown in FIG. 7 where a plurality of solar cell modules are arranged in stepwise arrangements, their cable connection positions in a water flow direction are different from each other depending upon the arrangement stage. As a result, an appropriate cable-wiring gutter is necessary for each arrangement stage. This situation is disadvantageous in that the wiring gutter is required to be specifically designed for each arrangement stage, extra work is necessary to properly position the wiring gutters, and expenses rise accordingly.
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 2601 indicates a solar cell module, reference numeral 2602 an installation face on which solar cell modules are installed, reference numeral 2603 a junction box, and reference numeral 2604 a connection cable. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 2701 indicates a solar cell module, reference numeral 2702 an installation face on which solar cell modules are installed, reference numeral 2703 a junction box, and reference numeral 2704 a connection cable.
Further, any of the manners described in the above (1) includes a step of cutting the sheathing roof board prior to installing the solar cell modules. As a result, there are disadvantages such that it takes a certain period of time to complete this step, and attention must be directed to the weathering problem which will be caused due to cutting the sheathing roof board. In addition, in the case where the wiring gutter is provided, an extra expense for providing the gutter is incurred.
The manner described in the above (2) is advantageous in that when the solar cell modules are installed, spaces are formed under the rear faces of the solar cell modules on the entire roof face. As a result, the cable connection positions in a water flow direction can be designed at optional locations. This is not restricted depending upon the form of a roof, i.e., gable roof or hip roof. However, there are disadvantages such that it is necessary to fix spacers to the sheathing roof board prior to installing the solar cell modules, whereby extra execution work and extra expenses are incurred. In addition, when using an underplate to join solar cell modules for stepping roofing which are arranged so as to neighbor with each other in a direction to the main frame and also to prevent a weathering problem, when the underplate is positioned on the spacers, portions of the underplate which are situated on the spacers protrude somewhat to mar the exterior appearance.
The manner described in the above (3) in which the cable connection space is formed by using the backing member under the rear face of the solar cell module has a disadvantage in that extra expenses are required for the backing member.
The manner described in the above (4) in which the solar cell is curving-processed has a disadvantage in that extra expenses are required for the solar cell module to be curving-processed.
A principal object of the present invention is to eliminate the foregoing disadvantages found in the prior art and to provide a fixing member which enables one to desirably install a solar cell module with a diminished number of execution steps and at a low installation cost and which enables one to establish a space which allows a connection cable extending from said solar cell module to pass through.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a solar cell module in which the above fixing member is used.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an execution method for installing a solar cell module using the above fixing member.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fixing member for fixing a solar cell module or a roofing member with no solar cell onto a face for a roof to be installed, said fixing member having a meshing portion to mesh at least a solar cell module or a part of a roofing member with no solar cell, a fixing portion to fix said fixing member to a roof installation face, and a raised portion to connect said meshing portion and said fixing portion, wherein said raised portion has a height which is greater than the thickness of a portion of said solar cell module or said roofing member which is engaged in the meshing by said meshing portion.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a solar cell module array in which a solar cell module string comprising a plurality of solar cell modules and a roofing member are fixed on an installation face using the above fixing member, wherein the solar cell modules are electrically connected with each other.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an execution method comprising the steps of: arranging an electrically conductive communicating member on at least a part of an installation face for a solar cell module string, said part being situated under said solar cell module string to be installed, said solar cell module string comprising a plurality of solar cell modules; fixing at least a part of an exterior conductive portion of said solar cell module string by the above fixing member; fixing the fixing member so that the fixing member is directly contacted with said electrically conductive communicating member or the fixing member is electrically connected with said electrically conductive communicating member through an electrically conductive jointing material to fix the fixing member onto a support; and electrically connecting the solar cell modules with each other.